Nothing has gone right for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025. As they were facing playoff elimination in Week 15, star quarterback Patrick Mahomes was tackled awkwardly and stayed down late in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Mahomes was running and was tackled from behind. When he was contacted, his left leg got stuck in the turf and his knee bent awkwardly. The star quarterback instantly grabbed for his knee.
Here are the latest injury updates on Mahomes in Week 15.
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Patrick Mahomes injury update
Head coach Andy Reid said after the game that Mahomes hurt his left knee, and he would be getting an MRI on Sunday night or Monday.
Andy Reid says Patrick Mahomes hurt his left knee. MRI tonight or tomorrow.
— Jesse Newell (@jessenewell) December 14, 2025
Reid mentioned to reporters that "it didn't look good" when speaking about the injury.
Mahomes did not return to the game. Gardner Minshew took over and threw an interception that lost the Chiefs the game. Kansas City has been eliminated from playoff contention, so the starting quarterback could end up sitting the remainder of the season regardless of the severity of his injury.
Mahomes was helped to the locker room by trainers after the game with a towel over his head.
Patrick Mahomes was helped to the locker room after leaving the field.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 14, 2025
(📺 CBS) pic.twitter.com/mPvjdlMZRJ
MORE: Updated AFC, NFC playoff pictures in Week 15
What happened to Patrick Mahomes?
Mahomes was injured during the Chiefs' final drive of their Week 15 loss to the Chargers. He was tackled from behind, and his left leg appeared to get stuck in the field, and it bent awkwardly. When the quarterback went to the ground, he immediately started grabbing at his left knee.
Mahomes was tended to on the field by trainers, but eventually he walked off under his own power.
Patrick Mahomes injured. Pic.twitter.com/T204BKQUpE
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) December 14, 2025
Is Patrick Mahomes done for the season?
No, not yet. His official diagnosis on the injury hasn't come in.
The Chiefs have been eliminated from playoff contention. This factor could be a reason to shut Mahomes down the stretch of the regular season regardless of his injury severity.
MORE: Updated 2026 NFL Draft order
ACL recovery time in NFL
The expectation given how the injury looked and the fact that Mahomes grabbed at his knee is that he did something to his ACL. This has not yet been confirmed.
If it is confirmed that he tore his ACL, Mahomes would be done for the remainder of the 2025 season. He would be looking at a recovery timeline between nine and 12 months, putting the start of his 2026 season into question.
This article will be updated.